BALTIMORE — Joe Girardi, sounding like a presidential candidate trying to placate everyone and offend no one — or, alternately, a trial witness looking to avoid too many specifics in his testimony — fielded a question Friday about his preferred wild-card opponent and offered this response:

“I think they all present their challenges. We’ll see what happens.”

Fair enough. Girardi has little to gain, besides pleasing his media constituency, from being more honest. But let’s face it: Of the three clubs seriously in the mix to face the Yankees Tuesday, in the American League’s one-and-done, wild-card game, there’s a clear leader for “Team the Yankees should want to face least.”

It’s a team that generated less preseason optimism than even the Yankees.

Right, the Yankees should hope the Astros fall short and fall flat, and head home for the rest of the fall. The Yankees can’t want the Astros across from them on Tuesday.

A few reasons come to mind:

1. Dallas Keuchel

Arguably the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award, the lefty started for the Astros on Friday night in Arizona and pitched six stellar innings, allowing two runs to the Diamondbacks. So he’d be going on three days’ rest for the game Tuesday, something he has never tried in his career.

The Astros haven’t committed to this plan, but don’t they have to? Even if Keuchel can’t offer his standard length — he has averaged more than seven innings per start — he still would represent a good bet in whatever he could pitch, and then Houston could turn to its bullpen.

As you know, Keuchel went 2-0 in his two starts against the Yankees, throwing 16 shutout innings while allowing nine hits, striking out 21 and walking one.

“As a hitter, any time you face a guy, it generally gives you a better chance just because we have seen what their stuff looks like,” Chase Headley said Friday, after rain postponed the Yankees’ game against the Orioles at Camden Yards, setting up a day-night doubleheader Saturday. “Having said that, he has pitched real tough against us. Hopefully we can make some adjustments.

“I would rather face a guy that I have faced before even if he’s really good. At least I have seen what his stuff looks like. ‘’

Scott KazmirGetty Images

If the Astros don’t pitch Keuchel, they could go with another southpaw, Scott Kazmir, who started Wednesday. While the former Mets prospect has pitched poorly in his last three starts, it can’t be stressed enough how much the Yankees have struggled against lefty pitching since Mark Teixeira checked out for the season with a fractured right shin.

2. The bats

Much has been made of the Astros’ stellar home record (53-28) and lousy road record (31-47 heading into Friday). Except the Astros went 2-1 in The Bronx, which shouldn’t surprise you given that both Yankee Stadium and Minute Maid Park are regarded as hitter-friendly. The Astros, like the Yankees, rely heavily on the home run.

3. The pressure

The Yankees, because of their massive payroll, arguably have to advance to the AL Division Series to win the approval of their greater fan base (and even that won’t suffice for many customers).

The Astros, their huge rebuilding effort paying off sooner than anticipated, will come to play with house money.

As for the other two wild-card options, assuming the Rangers win the AL West, I’d still rather face the Twins than the Angels, although it’s a closer call. The Angels and Mike Trout have surged in September, and they could start lefty Andrew Heaney against the Yankees.

Yes, the Twins historically always lose to the Yankees, but they, like the Astros, will be facing no pressure with Hall of Famer Paul Molitor as their manager. And getting back to Headley’s comment about preferring to see a familiar pitcher, if the Twins needed to win a play-in game Monday in order to get to Yankee Stadium, they probably would start impressive rookie Tyler Duffey in Tuesday’s wild-card game. Duffey never has faced the Yankees.

No matter whom the Yankees play, it’ll be a nerve-wracking night. Which is why they wanted to win the AL East and avoid this. Now, it’s just a matter of which opponent the Yankees hope to avoid.